Marvel's murderous anti-hero, Venom, makes his way to the big screen once again when Ruben Fleischer's self-titled origin story opens in theaters on October 5. But for this iteration, changes needed to occur. Unlike in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, the wallcrawler can't be used here to inspire the creation of Venom, so Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and the alien symbiote need to conjure a different backstory. That's not the only change, as the absence of Spider-Man in this story means a shift in the Marvel character's design, but when CinemaBlend spoke with Fleischer at a Venom press day, he explained why fans should get behind the alteration to Venom's signature look:
We had the reality that we couldn't feature Spider-Man [in this movie], so we had to get creative on how to manage that. And I think we were actually really successful, and fans have been appreciative of the respect that we showed the comics. Whether it's changing the spider on his chest, which just, at first, people were like, 'That's sacrilege! How can you have Venom without a spider on his chest?' But then, when you understand the origin is different, than it just wouldn't make sense to have a spider on his chest. Fans, as soon as they saw those first trailers, they kind of embraced this version. And I've been so psyched to see tons of fan art where they're drawing Venom without a spider on his chest. And that seems to me an indication that they liked this version. They liked the way he looks.
From his earliest days as a Marvel Comics character, Venom resembled a Hulk-sized Spider-Man, primarily because both Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote shared a deep hatred for Peter Parker. When they combined forces to become Venom, they assumed the look of the black-costumed Spidey, and a ferocious rivalry was born.
Venom can't take that approach, as Marvel and Sony are currently using Tom Holland and Spider-Man in the MCU, so they cooked up a new origin for Eddie (Tom Hardy) and the symbiote... one that doesn't involve a hatred for Spidey. It meant a new design, and the removal of the spider on Venom's chest.
But Ruben Fleischer is correct about the reaction of fan art to people who are digging the design of the new Venom from the movie.
From what we have seen of Venom, the character design looks sleek and comic-accurate, with Tom Hardy stepping into a hulking menace of a Venom suit that has all of the incredible powers of the symbiote -- from his octopus-type tendrils to the razor-sharp teeth that fill his mouth. You likely won't miss the spider on his chest, as it's less of a dealbreaker as many might believe. But judge for yourself once Venom reaches theaters on October 5. And keep it here for a lot more from our Venom interviews with Ruben Fleischer and his cast.
